Palmetto Bluff plans new residential, commercial village

Plans to build a new residential and commercial village at Palmetto Bluff are making their way through town of Bluffton review, and the project’s developers hope construction can begin soon.

The upscale community’s developers and architects from the Thomas & Hutton engineering firm presented a proposal last week to the town’s Development Review Committee for the first phase of Moreland Village, a 60-acre site that will include 90 residential lots and commercial amenities.

The presentation focused on road mapping, utility placements and stormwater control measures, said Dallas Wood, director of development for Crescent Communities, the management company for Palmetto Bluff. Wood said separate residential and commercial development plans will be submitted later this year.

The developers and architects will address comments made by town staff, who expressed minor concerns, at the committee’s next meeting at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Wood said, and they plan to unveil more plans for amenities at that time.

From there, the proposal will head to the town’s Planning Commission. If it is approved, construction of roads and utilities is planned to begin about a month later, Wood said.

The first phase of the project is just a small portion of what developers envision as a nearly 600-acre site with more than 600 homes, Wood said, adding that the buildout would likely last about six years.

“It’s a very exciting project for us,” Wood said. “Internally, we’re still trying to figure out what all it will entail, but right now, we’re just trying to get the basic neighborhood infrastructure hammered out.”

The village will be located near the middle of Palmetto Bluff, nestled along the Cooper River. It will be about 3 miles south of Wilson Village, which serves as the resort’s main commercial district and is home to the Inn at Palmetto Bluff, which is also expanding.

Though the exact businesses haven’t been determined, Wood said some of them would be open to the public and inn and cottage guests, while portions of the village would remain private.

Wood said Moreland Village will have its own distinct feel, separate from Wilson Village.

“We’re going for a much more casual theme and rustic look than the formal appearance of Wilson,” Wood said. “(Moreland) will still have the gas street lights and brick sidewalks, but we’re also looking at doing roads made of oyster shells and stones and a wooden bridge.”

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